An Arizona Superior Court judge has cleared the way for Mercy Maricopa Integrated Care to provide behavioral health services to Maricopa County residents who are seriously mentally ill beginning April 1.

The judge is allowing Mercy Maricopa to proceed despite the fact that Magellan, which lost Maricopa County's Regional Behavioral Health Authority (RHBA) contract in a competitive bid process last fall, has filed a series of legal challenges asking the state to reconsider its decision. At stake is the largest regional behavioral health contract in the nation, valued at more than $750 million in services annually.